


How you get the Girl

by OrphanCricket



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lovers to Friends, M/M, Older Wendy, Schizophrenia, older dipper, same old Bill - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-14 06:55:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13584687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrphanCricket/pseuds/OrphanCricket
Summary: A vacation at the Mystery Shack seems like the perfect opportunity for Dipper to work on his college project. However, that is not the only reason he came back after so many years. He finally wants to ask out his childhood crush, Wendy.But the risk he's going to take for that is unpredictable.





	1. Chapter 1

The dark grey clouds had promised rain all day and although it was a welcomed relief from the stifling heat which had settled over Gravity Falls over the last days the rain storm that followed forced its inhabitants to flee to the comfort of their homes. Soon huge puddles had formed on the streets and the dusty ground transformed into sticky mud that pulled on Dipper’s shoes as he made his way over the lawn. He blinked against the icy drops hitting his face and soaking his skin. The house in front of him hadn’t changed much over the years, except maybe for the additional patches of moss on the wood and a couple of recently replaced roof tiles.  
Dipper walked up the front door and rang the bell. The sound was drowned in the roar of the rain and he almost rang again when the door suddenly opened.

'Dipper?'  
The young woman who stood before him looked as radiant as ever. Her red hair was illuminated by a warm light and even though she wore an oversized shirt and sweatpants it didn’t diminish her beauty.

At least that was what Dipper thought while he was just standing there staring at her. He had mentally prepared for this moment for the last six months and now that it was finally happening his brain had been wiped clean.

_> She can’t read minds, you know?<_

Dipper opened his mouth, hoping something useful would come out but luckily Wendy spoke before him.  
'Are you insane? What are you doing out in this weather? You must be freezing.'

She grabbed his elbow and ushered him inside before he could protest. Goosebumps erupted on his skin once he was inside but he couldn’t tell if it was from the warm air or the girl’s touch.

'Jeez, I almost didn’t recognize you,' Wendy said, watching his drenched clothes create a small pond on the floor. 'For a second I was afraid you were a ghost or something.'

'Uh… I’m not.'

_> Wow, very articulate. You really have a way with words.<_

Dipper coughed awkwardly and tried again. 'Well I… I was in town and thought I’d visit.'

Wendy smiled. 'That’s so sweet of you. Why don’t you dry off and I’ll get you something hot to drink. I think we have some catching up to do.'  
She raced up the stairs and Dipper noticed her long legs and graceful movement. He had only seen pictures of her until now but seeing her in person was a whole different story. He couldn’t stop smiling stupidly to himself.

When she came down again, she tossed him a towel and a large plaid shirt. 'Sorry, this was the smallest I could find,' she said with a grin.

'It’s fine,' Dipper said and looked around himself for a place to change.

_> Undress in front of her. Do the naked man!<_

Dipper shook his head and brushed his wet bangs from his eyes. Carefully he reached for the hem of his T-shirt.

Wendy’s eyes went wide. 'Oh...uhm… wait, you can change in here.'  
She stepped to the side and opened the door to a small bathroom. Her cheeks had taken on a slight pink tone.  
'Sorry, I’m used to my brothers changing in front of me all the time. Even Dad rarely puts on pants these days.'  
They both laughed awkwardly as Dipper shuffled inside the room. Once the door was closed behind him he sighed with relief.

_> Well that went well. I’m sure she’s already falling for you.<_

'Shut up,' Dipper hissed as he struggled to pull the wet fabric over his head. 'It’s not like you’re making this any easier.'  
He shucked off his shoes and socks and tossed the garment on them then dried himself off as best as he could. His jeans were only slightly moist and considering the size of the shirts in this household he couldn’t risk asking for pants. He had grown considerably over the past few years but was still no match for the genes running in Wendy’s family. The shirt he pulled on almost reached his knees and he felt ridiculously short in it.  
After combing through his unruly hair with his fingers he scooped up the heap on the floor and made his way to the kitchen.  
Wendy had set a kettle onto the stove and gestured him to a chair by the large table in the center of the room. He dumped his stuff onto the radiator underneath the window and sat down.

'So...Is Mabel here, too?' Wendy asked as she poured hot water into a mug and placed it in front of him.

Dipper closed his hand around the mug, warming his fingers. He felt a sharp sting thinking about his sister.  
'No, it’s just me. Mabel is on vacation with her friends on some beach. We’ll spend a few weeks together at my parents when I’m done here, though.'

Wendy rummaged in the cupboards. 'Pity,' she said. 'I would have loved to see her again too. How long has it been anyway? Five years?'

'Uh… eight.'  
'Wow, really?' Wendy pulled a packet of tea bags out from under the sink. 'That’s a long time. No wonder you’re so…' she made a circling motion with the box in his direction '...grown up.'

'Yeah, you too.'  
He felt his face heat up, quickly looked away and took a sip of plain hot water.

_> Real smooth.<_

Wendy picked two bags and held one out. 'Sorry, they’re pretty old. I haven’t gotten to do some actual grocery shopping around here. My brothers and Dad seem to live on takeout and beer when I’m not around.'  
She chuckled and Dipper could hear the fondness in her voice.

'Are they not home?'

'Kevin and Gus are upstairs playing video games, Marcus and Dad are at a friend’s house. They said they’ll pick up dinner on the way. Do you want something too? I can give them a call.'

Dipper shook his head.  
'I don’t want to take away precious time with their favorite daughter and sister.'

Wendy laughed politely. 'I just arrived yesterday, they’ll have me all summer. And you are only here… what? A few days?'

Dipper watched green color ooze out of the tea bag and swirl to the bottom of his mug.  
'Actually I planned on staying a little longer this time. At least two months,' he said. 'I have a … project I want to do here. For college. Taking some pictures and stuff.'

'Right. You’re minoring in photography,' Wendy recalled.

They had stayed in contact for a very long time via email after the twins had left.  
Dipper remembered telling her all about him graduating, his first day of college, his professors, his daily life.  
Wendy had kept him updated as well.  
She had stayed in Gravity Falls for a few years until her youngest brother had graduated middle school then went to college in a nearby state with a business major. During the summer she had always been occupied with jobs and internships and despite talking about it they had never managed to actually meet again.  
After a few years the emails had gotten fewer and fewer and about half a year ago stopped altogether.

'Would you show me some of your photos?,' Wendy asked, sincerely interested.

Dipper evaded her gaze. 'There’s not really much to show yet,' he replied. 'Actually I came here to be inspired. You know… by the weirdness of this place.'

Wendy smiled her gorgeous smile again. The freckles on her nose seemed to glow in the light.  
'I think that’s a great idea. No better place for that than this smelly old town, amiright?'

Dipper nodded, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia. Even though he hadn’t told her the full truth yet. There were a few other things he had to do before summer came to an end.

'Are you staying at the Mystery Shack?' she asked, giggling when she watched him try his tea and then scrunch up his face in disgust.

Dipper felt a shiver run down his back at the bitterness on his tongue.  
'Yes, with Soos and his wife. They let me sleep in my old bedroom. Although they are currently transforming it into a nursery. Mabel would love it.'

Wendy snorted. 'Oh no, do you have to sleep in a crib?'

_> Ask her if you can sleep in her bed instead.<_

Dipper took another sip of the horrible beverage before he realized he was only punishing himself.  
'Not yet. But they put up star shaped lights and purple curtains. And the giant plush bunny is freaking me out... At least I have a night light now.'

This time a genuine laugh escaped Wendy and Dipper couldn’t help but grin along. A gentle warmth burst inside his chest. He was glad conversation was flowing easier now that they were both more relaxed.

'Want to come over sometime?' he asked, proud that his head wasn’t bursting with embarrassment. 'Maybe tomorrow evening?'

'I’d love to but I’m meeting the gang.'

Dipper took another sip and hated himself for it. ‘The Gang’ meant Robbie and the others and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet them just yet. After all, he had only been a kid when he had last seen them.

'How about Friday then?' he tried again but Wendy ignored him and offered the most terrible solution instead.

'Why don’t you come along? We want to check out the new burger place and then watch ‘Return of the Were-Shark’'

Dipper nervously pulled at the hair at the back of his neck. 'I don’t know. They want to see you not me.'

Wendy gestured dismissively. 'It’s not a problem. I’m sure they’d like to meet you too and it’s gonna be so much fun.'

Dipper sighed. He didn’t know if it was Wendy’s sparkling eyes, the expired tea or the annoying voice screaming in his head that he couldn’t miss out on a chance of fooling around in a dark movie theater but in the end he agreed.

'Great, we’ll pick you up at six,' Wendy said then got up and dumped both their mugs into the sink.  
'And you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?'

'Nah, I’m good,' Dipper said. The lights of an approaching car ran along the opposite wall. 'I have to get going anyway. Soos is making his famous chicken casserole.'

'Sounds delicious,' Wendy said and handed him his still dripping clothes.

'Yeah,' Dipper said awkwardly as he got up. He was in the middle of putting on his wet socks and shoes when the door was flung open and Wendy’s Dad announced his presence.

'Dinner’s here! Grab it while it’s still hot. Kev, Gus, get your butts down here or I swear I’m gonna-'  
The giant man stopped dead when he spotted Dipper in the hall. Confusion passed his face then recognition and relief.  
'Isn’t that young Mr. Pines,' Manly Dan said, his booming laughter filling the entire house. 'Sorry about that. We hardly have any guests over. How’s your great Uncle doing? Still sailing the world?'

'I guess,' Dipper answered, his voice suddenly a pitch too high.

'Marc, where’s the food? If you keep trailing behind like that the wolves will get you. Do you want to look old and diseased?'

Wendy laughed and put the bags the oldest of her brothers handed her on the table. He was almost as tall as his dad although much leaner. And he didn’t have his father’s massive red beard.

Dipper tried to sneak out the door. 'I’ll give it back later,' he told Wendy, pointing at the shirt he was wearing.

'What do you think you’re doing, young man?' Dan’s voice exploded like a cannon shot above his head. 'Nobody leaves this house hungry! Sit down and feast with us!'

Dipper looked up sheepishly. 'Thank you, sir, but- ..uh… I-.'

'Let him go, Dad,' Wendy said from the kitchen. 'He’s got places to be.'

Dan hummed and Dipper thought his ribcage vibrated.  
'Very well, but next time I won’t let you off the hook so easily, remember that.'

'Uh, sure. It was nice meeting you.'

'Dad, talk like a normal person, please,' Wendy’s voice echoed as Dipper slipped outside and let the door fall shut.  
He took deep breaths of the cool air. The rain had stopped but the vegetation around him was still dripping and the ground squelched beneath his sneakers.

_> Looks like she’s used to something a little more...manly, don’t you think?<_

Dipper flinched.  
'Yeah, well. Girls are said to look for their father in their boyfriends, don’t they?'

_> You’re already wearing his clothes. That’s not too bad of a start then.<_

Dipper looked down on himself. The shirt was far too big for him. He felt small and weak in it.

_> Now hurry up, Pine Tree, before the wolves get you.<_


	2. Chapter 2

His college project wasn’t due until the end of next semester but it had been a great pretence. He had packed all his equipment anyway in case his initial plan failed earlier than expected. Not that he actually wanted that to happen of course.

It had all started shortly after Christmas on a lazy evening. Dipper was swiping through his phone, answering texts when an email popped up in his inbox. Because it had Wendy’s name in it he immediately opened it, expecting the usual empty phrased distinctive for chain letters during the holidays. But it was just a simple ‘Hi’ and Dipper knew it was an invitation to talk. He could have used a quicker messaging system but after switching from actual letters to email a few years ago because both their addresses kept changing, he found this method to be more relaxed.

The email that followed was the last he would send to her. She told him he had a job offer somewhere on the east coast, a dream job, pretty high salary, they would even provide an apartment until she was fully settled. She was going to take the offer.

Dipper tapped the reply button what felt like a hundred times. But each time he closed it again, unsure of what to say. Of course, he wanted her to go, it was not like they were living together or anything. And they could still write each other. Nothing would change.

Except her entire life.

She would spend one last summer with her family before leaving, she had written. And that’s when Dipper began to form a plan. An actual one this time. Not one of his many fantasies which started with him confessing his love and ended with them dying of old age in a luxurious nursing home, surrounded by their many grandkids. It was one he hadn’t been able to abandon since he was twelve and he wasn’t going to now. It was just that the circumstances had changed a little.

A long distance relationship would not be a problem. Graduation was only one and a half years away and then they could live together and her small apartment until he got a well-paid job and they could move to the suburbs and everything would be just as he had imagined.

Now he only had to find out if she actually liked him in that way.

Something he had been putting of for quite a while. Every time he had typed something and was close to sending it, he remembered her rejection all those years ago. But he had been so young back then, just a child. Times had changed and so had he. And he wasn’t going to confess via Internet but in person. When he would show up on her doorstep with a huge bouquet of red roses and she would laugh and cry at the same time and tell him he had loved him ever since he had written that first letter to her in eighth grade.

Dipper arrived at the Mystery Shack a week before Wendy was supposed to come home. He wanted to mentally prepare for the task.

Soos and Melody were thrilled to have him over, both of them eager to learn about his photo project that Dipper himself had no clue about. He had told everyone - even himself - that he would document a few of the strange things he had witnessed here when he was younger but how exactly he was going to do that he had no idea. He could have asked his great uncle Ford for assistance but he wouldn’t be back until December and then it was too late. He was on his own.

Unexpectedly - even to himself - he had packed his camera on the third day and headed into the woods. Sitting at the table, biting his nails in anticipation of Wendy’s arrival was slowly driving him crazy. His thoughts were an endless train of possible conversations that seemed to go nowhere, only embed their tracks deeper in his brain until he couldn’t think of anything else. He hoped nature and fresh air were able to distract him. Taking pictures was usually very relaxing to him. He could sit and wait for hours for the perfect shot, time trickling away. Perhaps the few remaining days would pass quicker this way.

***

Taking the perfect picture was a rewarding experience, almost as strong as the frustration of missing the perfect shot. By now Dipper’s camera held an image of a dead tree and the blurry shape of a startled squirrel. It was one of the few animals he had encounter since he had entered the woods. Usually this part of the forest was bursting with life. Now he jumped when a stray bird flapped its wings.

He hadn’t noticed how quiet it had gotten around him. Dried leaves crackled under his feet, his own breath seemed to resonate from the large trunks, his pulse was like a drum in his ears.

A small clearing appeared before him and although he had decided a while ago that he was going to head home, he found himself walking further and soon stood in the center of the last rays of light for the day. How long had he been out here?

A shiver began to form in the nape of his neck but he shook it off before it could crawl down his spine. He turned a few times, convinced there was something behind his back. Only the trees were looking back on him. And a large rock at the edge of the clearing.

Which wasn’t a rock at all, Dipper noted when he got closer. Someone must have left a large piece of concrete here, he thought. It was too smooth to be of natural origin, too purposefully shaped. Moss covered most of it and it had sunk into the ground a little over time.

Dipper decided to take a picture of it. It would look interesting in the dying light. He walked around it, searching for the best angle when he noticed a thin rod protruding from its side. At its end were smaller appendages which made it seem like it was holding out its hand. As if someone would rescue it from slowly drowning in soil. Dipper adjusted the settings, angled his camera, looked through the viewfinder. And froze.

How come he hadn’t noticed the huge lenticular eye staring at him? Now the rock didn’t look helpless at all anymore. The hair on Dipper’s arms stood on end and the shudder he couldn’t hold back any more rushed down his back like a bucket of cold water.

Was there even a small hat on the topmost corner? A bow tie peeping out from behind the moss? A slit pupil fixating its gaze on him?

Memories from years ago began to resurface. Most of them had been forgotten or suppressed, discounted as bad dreams or a kid’s imagination. But some of them were as vivid as light and caused a flood of emotions in Dipper’s chest.

'Bill?'

His voice was like a gunshot in the near complete silence and he flinched. Holding his breath he waited for something to happen. Perhaps the ground was going to break open, the sky would start to bleed, a menacing laughter would fill the air.

But it stayed as quiet as it was.

Dipper kept staring at the rock.

The rock starred back at him.

After what felt like an hour Dipper finally dared to move. He slowly picked up the camera he had dropped and wiped the cold sweat off his face. It took him a few more minutes to get the shaking of his body under control before he was able to stand upright.

Had he really been almost scared to death by a piece of rock? Suddenly the whole situation seemed ridiculous. His interest was spiked however. What a sadistic son of a mother would make the effort of carving a statue and placing it in the middle of the forest, he thought, when his rational thinking had come back to a reasonable level. Why not place it in the city center where children could egg it, or the dump where it belonged?

Maybe Soos knew more about it. And if not they could dig it up and and exhibit it in the Mystery Shack. Or put him by the road and hang a sign on his scrawny little arm.

To prove he wasn’t scared of a mere rock Dipper stepped closer and patted the top of the hat. Just as expected it was rough and cold to the touch. He pretended the sigh of relief that followed hadn’t happened.

'You still up for a deal?' he asked, poking at the outstretched hand. 'Typical.'

His voice was steadier now as he felt his courage return.  
'Wanna help me with something?'

He didn’t know why he had said that. The picture of a magic lantern popped into his head. If only he had one wish. Could he make someone fall in love with him? Or was it still against the rules? He remembered what had happened last time he had agreed on a deal with the demon. How much was he willing to sacrifice to be with Wendy?

His hand closed around Bill’s fingers. They were stiff and fragile and Dipper was afraid they would break off if he squeezed them too hard or actually tried to shake his hand.

He waited.

The sky didn’t turn red, although a light shade of orange had started to spread as the sun was setting, and no monsters appeared. He patted himself down to make sure he still had all his limbs. For now nothing was out of the ordinary.

But a nervous feeling had started to bloom in Dipper’s stomach. The statue was still giving him the creeps as it stood there with its one dead eye. He shouldn’t have touched it, he thought and wiped his hand on his jeans.

After packing his camera he made to leave but turning his back on Bill made him uneasy. He walked a few steps backwards until the statue was hidden behind trees then quickly turned around and lightly jogged all the way back to the Shack.

Okay, maybe a little faster than that.

***

That night he had the weirdest dream.

Maybe it was caused by the unfamiliar bed, his restless mind or Soos’ infamous chili con carne but when he opened his eyes, the usually colorful interior of his room had turned gray. Completely drained of all color.

A yellow cat sat on the desk by the window, pawing at his camera. It being yellow despite the monotone color scheme made, of course, total sense. It was a dream after all.

'Hey, stop. That was expensive!'

Dipper’s own voice sounded distant and echoey in his ears as if he wasn’t here at all but in a large, tiled ballroom.

The cat transformed into a small songbird - still yellow, probably a canary - and hopped onto the foot of his bed.

'What do you want?' Dipper asked, trying to sound annoyed.

The bird changed into a tiger, sprawled on the covers and Dipper had to pull up his legs to make enough room.

'Sorry, I’m still having trouble maintaining a form,' the tiger which was now a chicken said. As a snake it slithered across the comforter and stopped as a bunny on Dipper’s chest where it transformed once more into a red panda. Well, a yellow one actually. It was all very confusing.

'So I heard you needed a favor or three,' Bill said, winking at him. He was a frog now.

'Yeah so?' Dipper asked, who had no idea what was going on. His dream brain was all fuzzy and slow.

'Coincidentally,' said Corgi-Bill, 'I’m in need of a favour too as you can see. Maybe we can help each other out.'

Dipper scoffed. 'I don’t think so.'

'Are you sure?' the yellow chameleon asked, looking at him and at the same time not. 'But there seems to be a girl on your mind. A pretty one. Pretty pretty actually.'

Dipper felt his cheek flush and wondered if they were now yellow too.  
'That’s none of your business.'

'Oh? But what if I make it my business?' His crow beak clicked and Dipper thought he had heard a chuckle. 'All I need is someone to break me out of that prison in the woods. You remember? The one you found today?'

'So you can have another go at taking over the world?' Dipper asked, pulling a face. 'How desperate do you think I am?'

Bill’s laugh was a roar. 'Very, Pine Tree. If you go so far as to shake hands with me. And all I need is a little help, you see?'

'Sure why not,' Dipper said sarcastically and Bill put a large paw on his chest, pushing him into the mattress.

'Listen, kid,' he hissed, fur changing into scales. 'I don’t have much time and if you don’t agree now I have other means to get what I want.'

'This is a dream,' Dipper said. 'You can’t hurt me.'

The other bared his sharp teeth and his smirk dropped instantly.  
Maybe not your bones but I can break you nonetheless. Destroy your sanity, snuff out your intellect, corrupt your cognition. Erase your will to live.'

Dipper swallowed.  
'So what’s in it for me again?'

A grin spread on Bill's face. And it was a real one this time. In a human face. He was wearing a yellow tailcoat and a top hat, the bow tie was the same.

'Good choice, Pine Tree.'  
He stood back up and smoothed out his vest. Then he held out his hand.  
'Deal?'

Dipper sat up abruptly.  
'Wait! I don’t know what you want me to do. And what about W-.'

Bill hushed him.  
'We’ll work out the details later.'

Dipper hesitated. 'When later?'

Bill burst into flames. 'Shake on it!' he howled and the room was illuminated by glowing blue light. 'You want the girl? I get you the girl. It’s your only chance and you know that!'

Dipper tentatively raised his hand.  
'No tricks this time,' he said.

Bill grabbed his hand and laughed.  
'Whatever you say, Pine Tree.'

The breath was knocked from Dipper’s lungs and he fell into total darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

A jarring beeping broke through the stillness of the room. Dipper slapped the alarm clock and cocooned himself in the warmth of his bed. Just a few more minutes, he told himself.  
As the drowsiness of sleep slowly began to retreat a sense of looming dread took ahold of him. He felt like he had forgotten something important.

He pushed back the covers and sat up. Chilly morning air streamed through the open window but the rising sun was already preparing for another hot day. Dipper yawned and stretched, trying to remember what his dream had been about. Why was this always so difficult in the morning?

_> Good. You’re awake.<_

Dipper yelped, jumped, got tangled in his blanket and crashed to the floor. He ignored the flaring pain in his shoulder and elbow and turned onto his back, looking for the source of the voice.  
The room was empty.  
He freed his legs and on all fours crawled back, he checked under his bed. Nothing but a family of dust bunnies. He looked out the window, turned his curtains around, opened all the drawers and closet doors in the room, even knocked on the walls and floor boards.

_> Jeez, Pine Tree, relax.<_

Dipper kept turning around himself until he was dizzy. The voice was so close to his ear yet he couldn’t pinpoint it. It was driving him crazy. Even though it was so familiar.  
In a last attempt he slapped his hands over his ears.

_> That’s not going to help.<_

Dipper slowly dropped his hands. Sweat began to pool on his back. Was Bill inside his head?

_> Yes, I am. Now please get yourself under control again, this is beyond embarrassing.<_

Dipper looked around the room another time. There weren’t any hidden cameras and nobody was going to jump out and tell him this was all a joke. How had this happened? Was it because he had touched that stupid statue in the wood?

_> No, it was because you agreed on our deal. Remember?<_

'Stop reading my thoughts', Dipper yelled and slapped his forehead repeatedly with the palm of his hand.

_> This is only hurting yourself.<_

Dipper sighed and sat down on the floor, pressing his hands over his eyes. This was not happening. No. Please, no.

_> You know most people handle this a lot better than you.<_

'Shut up,' Dipper growled, trying to sort his thoughts.  
Which was rather difficult when a demon was listening to them.

_> Although some go insane. Hm… I should have planned this better.<_

Dipper felt like crying. Should he go get help? No, everyone would just think he was schizophrenic or something. Was he? Better start popping those pills now. He could ask Ford. He had experience with stuff like this. He could implant a metal plate into his head like he had done on himself. For the exact same reason. They would be metal-plate buddies.

_> Kid, you’re losing it.<_

Dipper opened his eyes. He needed time to think about this. He got up, crossed the hall and locked the bathroom door behind him. Splashing cold water onto his face, he thought he remembered some sort of weird nightmare during which he had agreed on helping Bill with something. And in exchange? He would get Wendy? Was this even possible?  
Walking over to the toilet he pushed down his boxers.

_> You can’t just walk away, you know?<_

Dipper screamed, part terror, part embarrassment and pulled his underwear back up. He could hear Bill snickering quietly.  
'Can’t you leave me alone for one second?'

_> I live here now.<_

'Oh for fuck’ sake,' Dipper sighed, punching the wall next to him. 'I don’t believe this. I can‘t even pee?'

_> What’s holding you back?<_

'Okay, no! If we’re going to do this we have to establish some ground rules.'  
He didn’t wait for a reply.

'First.' He held up his finger, not sure if Bill was even able to see that. 'No more reading my thoughts!'

_> What? Then how are we going to communicate with each other?<_

Dipper groaned. 'You can still talk if you have to. Just make sure nobody hears you. And if I have anything to say I will just talk out loud, okay?'

_> This is so inconvenient.<_

'I don’t care, I value my privacy.'

_> As if your mind was even that interesting… Fine! What else?<_

'Don’t try to take over my body or any other funny business!'

_> Yeah, yeah, anything else before the day is over?<_

Dipper sat down at the edge of the bathtub.  
'I will only help you,' he said, fighting down the rising nervousness. 'If I get Wendy.'

Bill chuckled.  
_> Humans are so weird. Why would you want to possess another person?<_

Dipper flushed. 'That’s not what I meant. Just-... I want her to … want to be with me. Like … a couple. I will ask her to be my girlfriend and I want her to say yes.'

_> And marry you and have sixteen children and wait for you everyday after work with a freshly baked pie and tolerate you lying on the couch all weekend and overlook your growing beer gut and-<_

'Okay, I get it.'  
Dipper resisted the urge to hit his own head again. 'What do you want in exchange?'

_> Oh not much. Just find a way to get me out of this stone prison. I don’t want to be stuck in this lame dimension any more.<_

'And how?'

_> Heck, if I know.<_

'WHAT?' Dipper was glad he was currently sitting down. 'What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?'

_> Listen, Pine Tree! This wasn’t my idea! YOU and your stupid fellow humans trapped me here and now I have to watch one of them wanting to produce even more of those disgusting flesh bags. Do you think sitting in a forest for eight years, waiting for someone to come along so I maybe have small chance of getting out is fun?<_

'Don’t pretend you’re the victim here,' Dipper snapped. 'You know what you did.'  
He could feel Bill turning a vicious shade of red so he quickly lowered his voice again.  
'Let’s put this aside for now,' he said, taking a few deep breaths. 'Seriously though, what do you want me to do?'

It took a while for Bill to calm down and when he talked there was still an undertone of rage in it. _> Stanford and that pig-faced baby summoned me with an incantation. We could try that.<_

'Great idea,' Dipper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Except someone burned the book with the spell in it.'

_> Then find the original, stupid! You think Stanford thought of this by himself? You know your skull is pretty big for a brain so small.<_

Dipper pulled a face.  
'Alright. I get it. It has to be somewhere in Gravity Falls then. Great Uncle Ford found it and he wasn’t even looking for it. Can’t be that difficult.'

_> As easy as getting you a girlfriend.<_

Dipper didn’t know how to reply to that. But he hoped it was true.  
'How are you going to do that anyway? Do I have to make her drink a potion or are you going to brainwash her?'

_> Now, now, Pine Tree. Have you no confidence? There's no need for medieval methods like that.<_

To Dipper it sounded like he couldn’t.

_> Just do and say what I tell you to. It’ll be a breeze.<_

'Wait, what? You plan on staying in my head?'  
He thought the floor had shifted a few inches just now.

_> Of course. How else were we going to do this? Believe me, you’ll need all the help you can get.<_

'OhmyGod, I don’t believe this.' Dipper slipped onto the floor, his head resting against the bathtub. Is this what his life was going to be from now on?

_> Not if you get off your ass and get going already.<_

'What did I tell you about reading my mind?' Dipper yelled and banged the back of his head against the tub.

_> Yes, yes. Since we seemed to have agreed on terms and conditions our deal is now officially in effect.<_

Dipper waited. Nothing burst into flames.  
'Uh… that’s it? Don’t I have to shake your hand or anything?'

_> You could hit your head against the wall again... Or I can pretend you shook on it yesterday in the woods.<_

Dipper groaned in embarrassment. What had he been thinking agreeing to this? To a deal with a demon? And worst of all Bill.  
'Fine,' Dipper grunted. 'But do you really have to be here all the time? I really, really need to pee right now.'  
He got up and walked over to the toilet, nervously tugging at the hem of his boxer.

_> Pine Tree, please. I am familiar with the human anatomy and physiological functions. It is nothing out of the ordinary...But if it is any consolation I don’t think there is a whole lot to see.<_

'Thank you. Ever thought about becoming a motivational speaker?'

He could hear Bill cackling in a corner of his head and decided to just get it over with. If he was making a big deal out of it now the demon would never let it go. Dipper fumbled with his underwear and sighed in relief when he could finally release the uncomfortable pressure. Nonetheless he swore to himself to find that damn spell as fast as possible. But not before reaching his own goal.

'Hey Bill,' he thought as hard as he could. 'When I was younger I had lewd thoughts about Waddles.'  
The demon didn’t react.

Good, at least he seemed to be keeping his part of the deal


	4. Chapter 4

Meeting Wendy’s friends again wasn’t half as bad as Dipper had expected. Except Robbie. Robbie was terrible.  
He was working for his parents at the morgue, currently trying to open a franchise or something in a neighbouring town but Dipper was only listening halfway. They were currently sitting at a big table at the very back of the newly opened burger restaurant. He didn’t even know Gravity Falls had a mall. It was at the edge of town with all standard shops and vendors and the go-to place for local teenagers. It was a weekday so it wasn’t particularly crowded but Dipper already began to feel uncomfortable surrounded by so many people he barely knew.

Thompson was sitting next to him, slowly slurping his milkshake. He had gone out of town for college and was now investing into a startup-company somewhere in Atlanta or Alabama or Antarctica, Dipper didn’t care. It was probably some sort of pyramid scheme anyway.  
Lee and Nate had somehow gotten into a band where after a lot of drama - Dipper didn’t even want to begin to imagine any of it - they had gone off on their own. Lee was getting by with the occasional job whereas Nate had enrolled in some college for art or drama or something else with no future.  
Okay, maybe Dipper was a little pissed off at the moment. He was afraid he would smack the cup out of Thompson’s hand if he didn’t stop sucking on his straw so freaking loudly. Nobody else noticed that, of course, because they were too busy talking over each other and laughing about stupid jokes and Robbie trying to put his arm on the back of Wendy’s seat.

_> Aww jealous much, lover boy?<_

'I told you to stop reading my mind,' Dipper hissed into a bite of his burger. It was delicious but he didn’t allow himself to enjoy it.

_> I’m not. One look at your face is enough. You think she likes the introverted, sulking type<_

Dipper looked over at Wendy. She was trying to keep a conversation going with Tambry while simultaneously answering all of Robbie’s stupid questions like if she had lost weight or where she bought her shampoo because her hair smelled so nice or when they could go out together again. It was sickening to watch.  
Also he was extremely vexed by the stunt he had pulled when they had purchased the movie tickets. Of course he wanted to sit at the back and of course he took the seat next to Wendy and of course he had put Dipper on the opposite side next to Thompson. Another two hours of listening to him munch away on popcorn would surely drive him crazy.

'Exactly,' Lee chimed in a conversation Dipper hadn’t even realized was going on. 'One time I ate a chili that was so hot it burned a hole into my stomach.'

'Yeah, right,' Tambry said sarcastically. 'As if that’s even possible.'

'It’s not,' Robbie agreed. He held up his burger. 'I’ve eaten hot sauce with everything since I was like five and it only made my stomach stronger. If a single chili damages your intestines you are just weak.' He took a bite of his burger as if that would proof anything.

'Dude, there’s not even any sauce on that,' Wendy said and the table went quiet. They didn’t dare laughing but Robbie’s face was rewarding enough. Dipper wished he had his camera with him.

'Oh yeah?” Robbie said, not responding to anything in particular. 'Then I’ll get some.'

'They have one of the hottest, spiciest dips in the entire country here,' Nate stated without any underlying intentions whatsoever.

_> Quickly! Get it!<_

'What?'  
Everyone turned towards Dipper.  
'Uh… I’ll get it,' he said and rose from the table. 'You know… so … he can’t cheat.'

'Good idea,' Lee said and Dipper was happy to see Wendy turn to him briefly. She shot him a pained look as if to apologize for her childish friends. He only shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide his smile.

_> Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard, you’ll fall over.<_

Dipper grinned and got in line at the counter. 'What are you planning anyway?' he asked, a little nervous.

_> What? Me? Nothing? What makes you say that? Now order that vulcano sauce.<_

Dipper scanned the menu. There was indeed a dip named ‘ultra extra volcanic eruption death by fire’. It was written in red chalk with (hot) in brackets and a picture of a chili pepper next to a ∞- symbol. He knew that was probably an exaggeration when the guy at the counter didn’t even use gloves handing it to him. So it most likely wouldn’t hurt Robbie all that much.

'Dig in,' he said, setting the small glass bowl in front of him.

Robbie stared daggers at him.  
Dipper turned to leave.

_> No, wait. Stay here.<_

They all watched as Robbie dipped his burger into the sauce. To Dipper’s disappointment it didn’t dissolve it. He raised it to his mouth and took a huge bite. The burger to sauce ratio was way too high but it only took Robbie a few seconds to react.  
At first there was nothing but a smug smile but the more he chewed the redder his cheeks seemed to become. Then tears shot into his eyes. He tried to swallow as quickly as possible and started to cough. Nate and Lee laughed.

'Is it very hot?' Tambry asked and Wendy clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh as well.

Robbie was about to say something in reply, looking at all of them angrily but another coughing fit choked his words. His whole face had now gone a deep shade of red.

_> Jacket. Left pocket!<_

At first he didn’t know what Bill meant but then he spotted the movie ticket. Leaning forward, pretending to get a closer look at Robbies distressed face, Dipper quickly snatched it. He pulled his own out of his back pocket and replaced it. None of the others seemed to have noticed.  
He reached his seat when Robbie jumped to his feat, grabbed Thompson’s milkshake and downed it in one go.  
Everyone applauded.

Robbie sunk back into his seat, obviously satisfied with himself. He brushed his hair out of his sweaty face and looked as if he had accomplished something greater than eaten a spicy piece of food.  
Dipper stared back at him equally triumphant.

'Anyway,' Nate continued as if nothing had happened. 'At the hospital I met this really strange guy who-...'

And with that the topic changed. And Dipper knew the rest of the evening and his mood had too. In the next twenty minutes he checked his pocket what must have been a hundred times to make sure it was still there. He couldn’t believe that he had done this.

'Nice idea,' he said to Bill on his way to the counter again. Adrenalin was still rushing through his system. He was so euphoric he was going to bye Thompson another milkshake and he would let him chew on his straw as much as he liked. And he would get him an extra big bucket of popcorn too, he decided. One that would last him the entire movie.

 

In the end, it was all worth Robbie’s face when he sat down and realized everyone else filled up the seats beside him in the opposite order. Dipper even saw him check his ticket but then all his concentration shifted when Wendy flopped down into the seat next to him.

'Excited?' She asked.

_> You bet.<_

Dipper shrugged. 'As much as a guy turning into a shark when he touches water can possibly excite me.'

Wendy gasped theatrically. 'Don’t spoil it!'

Dipper chuckled. 'I wonder what he is returning from though. And does it have to be salt water? What happens when he pees himself?'

Wendy laughed and put her feet up on the front chair.  
'This is gonna be good,' she whispered into his ear as the lights dimmed and Dipper felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.  
He offered her his popcorn and she returned the gesture with her nachos. The title screen came up but Dipper didn’t see it. All he could do was look at Wendy’s perfect silhouette in the dark.

_> You paid for this, you know.<_

'Worth every penny,' Dipper replied with his head still turned.

'Wait till he transforms,' Wendy whispered back and Dipper breathed a sigh of relief.  
He had to be careful not to reply to Bill any more. Sinking further into his seat, he felt his ears burn and stuffed his mouth with popcorn to keep himself from talking to the demon in his head.

The first few minutes of the movie were a giant clusterfuck of action scenes. The antagonist had apparently survived his defeat in the prequel and had regained consciousness in Sea World. The special effects weren’t bad but greatly exaggerated and filled to the brim with blood and gore. Jump scares were far too predictable and the camera work was pretty lazy yet Dipper began to enjoy the whole thing nonetheless. It was obviously designed as a parody of the previous films.

When the protagonist’s generic love interest picked up a gun to defend himself, Dipper knew from the moment he touched it that it was a squirt gun and shooting the wereshark with water would end horribly.

_> Really?<_

'Are you watching this?' he asked Bill. He looked over at Wendy if she had noticed the upcoming disaster as well but she was just looking at the screen mesmerized by the frantic chase scene.

_> What else am I supposed to do? This movie is crap.<_

'Recommend some good ones then.'  
Dipper wasn’t worried to be overheard. The action on screen drowned out his voice and even if he couldn’t hear himself over the shouting and sounds of ripping flesh, Bill seemed to understand anyway.

_> You think moving pictures of fleshbags running around doing fleshbag things has any meaning to me?<_

Dipper let that sink in. Somehow he had forgotten who he was talking to. Why was he trying to make conversation anyway? He should be enjoying the movie. And Wendy’s company most of all.  
He focused on the movie again. It was time for the inevitable.  
In an attempt to slow down the creature, the love interest pointed his gun at it. As expected water shot out and during a multiangle scene the man chasing them transformed into his ugly shark form. One could clearly see that most of the production money had gone into special effects.  
Wendy and her friends roared with laughter. Dipper forced a weak smile.

The protagonists turned and headed to the end of another hallway, making sure to slip several times on the barely wet floor. _> That door leads to the shark tank, you idiots<_ Bill said the moment Dipper was thinking exactly that. It was followed by a splash and even more screaming.

Dipper chuckled. 'Who builds a door that leads straight to a ten feet drop into an open tank? At least put up a sign or something.'

His heart squeezed when Wendy snickered. 'I don’t think they can read.'

_> Now put your arm around her!<_

'What?'

_> You know. Feign a yawn and stretch and-...<_

'I can’t do that! That's so lame,' Dipper put a handful of popcorn into his mouth so Wendy didn’t see him talk to himself again.

_> Ugh. Why are you making this so difficult?<_

'Because it is!'

Dipper crossed his arms to show he was done talking to Bill. He ignored the quiet mumbling calling him a coward. Bill didn’t understand the complexity of human emotions and social behavior. He couldn’t just touch Wendy like this. It was like he had to get to know her all over again first.

For the rest of the movie Dipper didn’t talk to either of them. Wendy was quietly sharing giggles with Tambry whereas Bill was sulking. Or whatever he did in his head when he wasn’t pestering him.  
The couple fell into each other’s arms and the credits began to roll. Dipper quickly sat up straight and fixed his hair. He looked at Wendy and saw her and the others already making their way towards the exit.

'Where’re you going?'

Wendy hesitated. 'Uh… toilet?'

'What about the end?'

Wendy gave him a puzzled look. 'That was it. Happy ending. I guess they’re together now?'

Dipper shook his head. 'No, I mean don’t you want to wait for the last scene?'

'Dude, you lost me.'

Dipper was shocked. For a solid ten seconds he only stared at her. Tambry and the others stood by the door, urging them to hurry up then left. He didn’t mind staying behind with Wendy but at the end of movies like this there was always an extra clip. He couldn’t believe Wendy didn’t know about them.

'Come sit,' he said and patted the seat next to him.

Wendy did so reluctantly, her eyes darting between him and the screen. Now he really hoped he wasn’t wrong. He started praying to all known Gods.  
The last line of credits vanished and for a seemingly endless two seconds it was completely dark. Then a beach appeared on the screen and Dipper released the breath he had been holding. After showing blue sky and palm trees the camera cut to a trail of footprints in the wet sand emerging from the waves. They were human but when they reached the nearby jungle they had changed into impressions of flippers.

'That is so stupid,' Dipper laughed.

'Awesome! That means there’s gonna be another part,' Wendy cheered.

'If you ask me they’re just shooting there to have a month long holiday.'

'So what? I’d do the same', Wendy said, getting up and offering him a hand. Dipper hesitated then took it. Her skin was warm and smooth.

'We should watch it,' he suggested before he remembered.  
A shadow crossed Wendy’s face. She held onto Dipper’s hand a little longer than necessary.  
'Yeah, maybe,' she said and his stomach sank. 'Have you watched the first part?' she continued quicky before the tension between them became to awkward.

'Uhm, ye-...'

_> No, you didn’t!<_

'-No! No, I don’t think I’ve watched it. I’ll check it out...later.'

'Great, maybe we can watch it together sometime?'

Dipper froze.

_> Yes! Next friday! Our place!<_

'Yeah, let’s do that! How about next friday? Our-... uh I mean.. my place?'

Wendy smiled and it made Dipper’s heart hurt.  
'Sure. I haven’t been to the Shack in ages.'

'Great.'  
Dipper forgot to breathe.

'Come on, they’re waiting for us.'

He followed her but didn’t really see where he was going. Did he just score a date? An actual date with Wendy? And she was coming over to his room? He should clean. And redecorate. How would he be getting Soos and Melody out of the house? Should he be buying condoms?

_> Don’t get ahead of yourself, Pine Tree.<_

'Don’t read my thoughts!'

_> I don’t have to. It’s all over your stupid face.<_>

Dipper groaned. He had forgotten that Bill was still the worst of his problems.  
He sighed and followed Wendy outside.

The scowl Robbie wore when they caught up to them cheered him up only a little. But the quizzical look Tambry gave Wendy made him feel uneasy. He told them he would walk home instead of accepting a lift in Thompson’s car and made his way along the dark road. He would have liked to discuss the movie some more but he was tired. That was enough socializing for one day.

'That went better than expected,' he said once he was out of earshot.

_> You think? I have to sit through another one of these dumb films.<_

Dipper smiled. 'It’s one step closer to freeing you, though.'

_> Is this supposed to cheer me up?<_

'Works for me. I can’t wait to have my head to myself again.'

_> It’s not like there’s a lot going on here…<_

'Hey! Jerk.'

Bill snickered.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Not a single car passed them and the night sky was clear and bright with stars. A view you didn’t get in the city.  
It made the summer ahead seem endless.


	5. Chapter 5

To Dipper Friday night couldn’t come quickly enough. He still had a few days left to mentally prepare for it but Bill was having none of it. Since the moment Dipper had gotten up the morning after movie night he was constantly pestering him about finding Ford’s spell.  
After all, he claimed, thanks to him, Dipper was now one step closer to achieving his goal and par their deal he had to do his share of the work. Dipper’s efforts to ignore him were futile and after some time either curiosity or a bad conscience had driven him out of the house that afternoon. He purchased a map of the area, making sure it covered a large part of the adjacent forest (which was surprisingly difficult since there wasn’t a whole lot to see) then headed back into the woods where the disaster had begun.

_> Why did you bring your camera?<_

‘Because if I’m already outside, randomly searching for a cluster of words, I at least want to make use of it.’  
Dipper patted his camera bag fondly. He usually preferred taking pictures by himself instead of with Bill always so uncomfortably close. In his experience having someone else constantly peering over his shoulder, waiting more or less patiently for him (or worse: pretending to be interested) was a stressful as being constantly poked with a stick while trying set the focus.  
He also doubted he would get the necessary silence and concentration to take a good shot.

_> Looking for anything in particular?<_

Dipper shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I thought inspiration would come on its own. Until now I have a bunch of trees and close up grass.

_> I’m sure there’s a crazy billionaire out there paying good money for that.<_

Dipper scoffed. He couldn’t decipher if Bill was mocking him or trying to cheer him up. Both was equally unnerving.  
He looked around. Trees, everywhere. Miles and miles of trees. Large trees, small trees, trees so thin they were bound to break during the next storm. Old trees, young trees, even underbrush and weeds that were so large and thick they were probably also pretending to be trees. How were they going to find anything in here? Especially if they it didn’t even know what to look for. Ford had spent years here. How was he hoping to find it in less than two months?

With a heavy heart he pulled out the map from his bag and shook it out. Layers of thin paper unfolded in front of him. Pictured in the very center was the town of Gravity Falls with every street and back alley and side roads clearly labeled, every house had a number, every patch of grass a name. Next to the web of colored squares and intersecting lines was a huge area of pale green. It didn’t even have a name although it took over almost a third of the entire map. Only a squiggly line separated it from the meticulously documented rest of the world. Just a few landmarks had been harshly added. A blue splotch not too far from the edge of town presumably represented the lake Great Uncle Stan had taken them fishing so many summers ago. A thin line connected it to another small blue spot somewhere in the depths of the forest. A pond? A spring? Besides that and a few other lines in the upper half of the map it was empty. This was the part he was planning to search.

_> Not to discourage you, Pine Tree, but this will take forever. And that is coming from someone who has been around for a few thousand years.<_

Dipper tried to ignore that but he couldn’t help the stinging in his stomach.  
‘We just have to go about this strategically,’ he said and pulled out his phone. Not only was there no reception, the GPS and compass were not working either.  
‘Oh come on!’

He stuffed his phone back into his back, practically feeling the snide comment Bill was holding back. The large, empty spots on the map seemed to be mocking him. And just like on paper, the trees around him all looked the same.  
But only at first glance. One had a peculiar pattern along its bark, another had a bunch of gray roots sprouting from its base.

 _> Don’t get distracted<_ Bill said when Dipper began fidgeting with his camera. Dipper didn’t respond. He pressed the shutter, turned and started walking. After a hundred steps he checked his surroundings and took another picture.

_> Care to enlighten me, oh artists?<_

Dipper rolled his eyes. He lifted his camera and swiped through the photos.  
‘You’re right. Looking under every rock and searching behind every tree would take forever. But I was thinking...if Ford just happened to stumble upon… Well, whatever he stumbled upon, I guess, he must have found it by accident.’

_> You could say he stumbled upon it.<_

‘Thank you. Now this…’ Dipper pointed between the trees he had photographed. ‘...this is more or less the distance we can search just by looking and if we keep our eyes open for anything unusual, sooner or later we’re bound to find something. And with the map and the photos we can track our path easily.’  
Dipper waited patiently for some kind of praise.

_> You really think that’s gonna work?<_

‘You have a better idea then?’

The silence that followed was beyond satisfying. Even though it didn’t last very long.  
_> Currently I’m bound to a certain flashbag and hence my powers are limited.<_

‘So no. Good. Let’s go.’

Dipper folded the map as best as he could and began counting another set of a hundred steps. He tried to keep the distance between them equal, thinking he would have to make the intervals between photos shorter if the forest became denser. For now it seemed to work just fine.  
He followed the sun to make sure he was walking in a straight line and strained his eyes for weird shapes or unusual patterns. For now nothing in particular caught his eye but with a system in mind he felt like he was already making great progress.

His motivation lasted for about half an hour. Although he did not dare hoping to find anything in the very first day, the longer he walked, the more his concentration slipped away from him.  
The steps he took were somewhere around hundred but not exactly and when he stopped to take a picture he more often than not tried to make it a compelling one.  
A trail of ladybugs caught his attention at one point and he spent several minutes angling the lese for the perfect lighting. He was afraid Bill was going to scold him for wasting time or make fun of him or simply be an ass but to his surprise the demon was either quiet or offering insightful commentary. Such as, ladybugs excreting bodily fluids from their joints when threatened. Which was gross but also interesting.  
It felt like having Bill peak over his shoulder when he took pictures without being intrusive or impatient. Dipper would have never admitted it, but he quite enjoyed the company.

After more than an hour’s walk a glimmer appeared between the trees in the distance. After another short stop to snap the picture of a black bird on a low hanging branch and they reached the shore of the lake. The surface was completely calm, reflecting the late afternoon sun like a polished mirror. Specks of light dusted the water with a golden glow.  
Dipper dropped his stuff, kicked off his shoes and socks and waded out into the water, his gaze following the ripples he caused until they disappeared in the distance. The water was pleasantly cool on his heated skin and he just stood there, enjoying himself until he was reminded of the fact he wasn’t alone.

_> Did you know there is a type of leech eats right through your skin, crawls into your bloodstream and lays eggs in your liver?<_

‘Now I do,’ Dipper said, fighting the urge to sprint back on land. He looked over at the forest at the far side, tree tops lazily swinging in the breeze.  
‘I think we did enough today. It’s hot and I’m tired. And don’t you think it’s nice out here?’

He spoke before he could think. Of course, Bill did not find beauty in ordinary human things like this. But he also wasn't the one having his lower legs caressed by a gentle current. Carefully, avoiding all leech-shaped rocks, Dipper teetered back out and flopped down under a large Oaktree. He took out the map and checked their progress and - after realizing its insignificance - stuffed it right back.

_> It is.<_

Dipper took a second to comprehend what Bill meant with that. Then he pretended not to have heard. Answering felt too intimate.  
He took out his camera once again and took some random shots without really looking at them. The sun filtering through the leaves created an interesting pattern against the sky but the sensor on his camera wouldn’t quite catch it. So Dipper just sat and appreciated them as they were. He wished he had someone to share the sight with. Maybe he could bring Wendy next time.

The sound of a splash startled him. In the center of the lake, not far from where he was sitting, a stream of bubbles were breaking the surface.

‘What was that?’ Dipper asked, his eyes on the remaining ripples.

_> How should I know? If you didn’t look, I didn’t either.<_

‘Right…’  
Sometimes Dipper forgot that Bill was inside his mind and not perched on top of his head. He pointed his camera at the spot and held his breath. The bubbles appeared a little further left but before he could focus and click the shutter, they were gone again.  
Dipper cursed under his breath. His fingers tapped the shutter impatiently as he scanned the lake for movement. Bill was quiet, as if he was concentrating as well.

Then the bubbles appeared again.  
Dipper was ready. He pushed down on the shutter button, taking a serious of multiple shots per second. Something broke the surface, water splashed, a dark shadow and a twisting, scaly body were visible for a split second then quickly vanished again in the depths of the water.

With shaking fingers, Dipper skimmed through the shots.  
Everyone single one of them was out of focus. He thought he spotted the tip of a fin breaching the water but other than that he had only caught splashes of water and colorful shapes.

‘Could have been a sea monster,’ he said flatly, mercilessly deleting some of the pictures.

_> Or a fish.<_

Dipper frowned. The afternoon almost hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

 _> At least the lighting looks good.<_  
‘What?’ Dipper looked at one of the pictures. The water reflected the golden rays of sunshine beautifully and the fine droplets of water made for interesting effect. It bordered cliché but the movement and unruliness of the whatever-that-thing-was gave it an unusual touch.  
‘You’re right.’

It really did look better than the leaves he had initially wanted to photograph. Huh. He didn’t know Bill had an eye for stuff like that. No pun intended.  
He put the camera back, dusted off his pants and slipped his shoes back on.

‘Let’s go,’ he said ‘I want to get home before it gets dark.’

_> Urgh. Humans and their weak bodies and inability to see at night.<_

‘Sorry, not sorry. Should have possessed a cat or something.’

_> Nah. They are more difficult to convince. With them being a lot smarter than you and all.<_

Dipper laughed. Even though his search had been anything but successful up until now, he somehow was in a good mood.

The sun was slipping closer to the horizon and took the summer heat with it. It was pleasantly cool beneath the trees but the closeness to the water brought upon a swarm of mosquitoes and Dipper soon retreated into the safety of the forest. Maybe if he kept his eyes open he could snap another shot of the evening light. Or Bill’s incantation. Both would be fine.  
It had been a while since taking pictures had actually been fun rather than work and it had taken his mind off of the upcoming dinner.  
When he was lying in bed that night he thought that perhaps exploring the forest wouldn’t be such a hassle after all. Even with Bill around.


	6. Chapter 6

The day leapt onto Dipper like a hungry leopard. The day that had been creeping up on him all week, that had been watching and waiting and was now crushing his chest. It was the day that was going to make a huge impact on his life. Or so he hoped. Or feared. Both.

He had begun pacing around the house after breakfast - which was lunch time for most people - had put things in and out of the fridge, cut his toenails just in case and had washed his sweaty hands at least twenty times. Melody had agreed to help him with dinner and they had done the necessary shopping the day before so there was not much left to do. Which unnerved Dipper to no end because now he had nothing else to do but anxiously await Wendy’s arrival. Bill wasn’t much help either although he wasn’t pestering him about going into the woods as much as usual. He knew what was at stake.

After having taken his second shower that day Dipper felt a little better. There was still half an hour left and he could take his time deciding on an outfit. Not that he had much choice with the limited space in his suitcase. Also he probably wouldn’t go beyond jeans but he was sure he had packed a light shirt.  
With only a towel around his hips, he rummaged through heaps of sweaters and shirts trying to find the cleanest pair of boxers. How Mabel could keep her clothes organized was a mystery to him. He didn’t even know if the socks he was holding where clean or not.

_> Maybe you should have shaved.<_

Dipper touched the smooth skin on his cheeks. He had been painstakingly thorough.

_> Not there.<_

Dipper’s breath caught.

‘I don’t think she’s going anywhere near that just yet.’ His ears began to burn. He could feel Bill enjoying his reaction.

_> Better safe than sorry. Also when are you going to jerk off?<_

‘Excuse me?’ The socks slipped from his hand to be lost in the abyss of unwashed clothes.

_> You know. Choking the chicken, spanking the monkey, -...<_

‘I know what it means dammit!’ This was almost hurting him physically.

_> Isn’t that what you do before a date? In case she gets a little too close… or looks at you?<_

Dipper took a deep breath. ‘First, it’s not a date. She’s just coming over for dinner. And second, I’m sure as hell not going to do that with you around.’

_> Would help you be a little more relaxed though.<_

Dipper scoffed and pulled his towel more tightly around himself. He couldn’t disagree. But he hoped that having an obnoxious demon inside his head would keep him from springing random boners tonight. Great, another thing he could worry about.

 

***

 

Wendy arrived at exactly six, wearing a tank top and jean shorts and at her sight Dipper almost forgot to invite her inside. With his pants and sweater he felt simultaneously over- and underdressed. Eventually he managed to lead her into the living room and offer her something to drink. Once in the kitchen, a glass in hand, he had already forgotten what she wanted.

_> Please calm down a little, would you? You’re making me nervous.<_

Dipper growled. ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ His voice was dripping with sarcasm. ‘I don’t want to inconvenience you. Why don’t you take a nice bath or something while I handle everything down here? I’m sure we could both do with a little time apart, don’t you think?’

Bill chuckled. _> Nice try but aren’t you taking this way too seriously?<_

‘Well, if you ask me, I’m not taking this seriously enough.’

_> Is that so? Well, then you shouldn’t leave your guest by themselves for so long waiting for their… whatever juice you have?<_

‘Right.’ Dipper got a bottle of apple juice from the fridge and poured some into the glass. His stomach sank a little when he realized he had forgotten to freeze ice cubes. Maybe if he put them in now and only filled them halfway -

‘Can help you with anything?’

Dipper jumped and a third of the glasse’s content spilled onto the floor.

‘Oh man, sorry,’ Wendy apologized and stepped back again. ‘I… kind of… don’t want to just sit around. I’m not used to it.’

_> See? I told you not to leave her unsupervised.<_

Dipper awkwardly refilled the glass again and handed it to Wendy, hoping she would resume her spot in the other room. If he wanted dinner to be edible he needed all his concentration.

‘Do you mind if I stay here?’ Wendy asked and something shattered inside Dipper, spilling the cold liquid of dread all over his guts.

‘My brothers don’t like it either when I watch them doing stuff but I promise I won’t disturb you.’

Dipper’s jaw tightened. ‘Yeah, sure.’ He gestured to the chair farthest away from the stove.

_> Did you hear? You’re now on the same level as her brothers.<_

‘Oh, for God’s sake.’

Wendy raised an eyebrow at him.

‘Uh… I almost forgot to uhm-…’ His thoughts raced each other and crashed violently. ‘...preheat the oven.’ He quickly turned away, pushing some random buttons so Wendy wouldn’t see the stream of sweat pouring down his face. Under no circumstances should she catch him talking to himself like that ever again. It greatly reduced the chances of passing on his genes if they seemed to have the slightest trace of insanity. Oh God, what was he thinking again? After successfully resetting the timer and turning the light on and off repeatedly, he sank down onto his knees. Who in their right mind agreed to cook a something he had never cooked, for a person they barely knew, in a kitchen he wasn’t familiar with? Maybe his subconsciousness was trying to remove him from the gene pool altogether.

‘Do you need help with anything?’

All Dipper managed was of whimper. However, it hadn’t been Wendy who had asked. Melody stuck her head in from the door at the other end of the room. She had been summoned by Dipper’s failure to operate simple kitchen appliances. Not really waiting for an answer she walked over to him and after a few gestures the oven was on and slowly emitting heat. Before Dipper could thank her she had turned to Wendy and greeted her like an old family member. Maybe not a lost sister, but surely like a well-liked distant cousin. Either way, all three of them were grateful for finally breaking the looming awkwardness.

‘Why don’t you get the big pot and heat up some oil,’ Melody suggested in a by-the-way tone. Dipper didn’t argue. He was glad he had someone giving him instructions. He could work with that.

‘And Wendy you can mince this onion,’ she added, setting out a cutting board and knife.

Dipper froze. ‘Uhm… No, that’s fine… I can-…’

‘Yeah, I’d like to help,’ Wendy chimed in, walking over to the counter next to Dipper where Melody had put down the tools. The sudden proximity made Dipper pour way too much oil into the pot. He watched Wendy swiftly cut her onion into exact pieces.

‘Wow, you’re an expert,’ Dipper stated. Then he felt his face turn an embarrassing shade of red. 

Wendy only shrugged. ‘Thanks, I guess I’ve always been good at handling sharp metal weaponry.’

_> And humbled too.<_

‘Ever thought about getting into your father’s lumberjack business?’ Melody asked as she got ground meat, tomato sauce and cheese from the fridge.

‘Eh, not really. I kind of… have other plans right now.’

Dipper tensed and stirred the oil around in the otherwise empty pot. Melody was unaware that Wendy was leaving for the big city in a couple weeks. Luckily, she quickly noticed the shift in atmosphere.

‘I think it’s important to try a lot of things before you can really know what you want to do with your life,’ Melody said but didn’t inquire further. Dipper sighed in relief when Wendy relaxed.

‘Now put the onions into the pots, please. Dipper, you steer!’ Wendy leaned over, their shoulders touching.

_> Oh wow, she knows what she’s doing.<_

Was he talking about Wendy? Her hair smelled really nice.

‘Dipper, I said steer!’

‘Yes!’

He tried to ignore the closeness and his racing pulse, while trying not let anything burn. Melody instructed them on how to prepare and add ingredients while letting Dipper feel like he was actually helping. Soon the smell of tomato sauce and spices filled the room. It didn’t take long for Soos to poke his head into the kitchen. Melody shot him a warning look which Dipper pretended not to have seen.

‘Sorry, but you were gone so long. And it smells so good,’ Soos whispered.

‘I’ll be right there, honey, just a few more minutes.’ She turned to Dipper. ‘Can you handle the rest by yourself? Just layer sauce and pasta like I told you and then add cheese on top and-…’

Wendy spun around. ‘Wait a sec. Where do you think you’re going?’

Melody hesitated. ‘Upstairs?’

Wendy huffed but there was a grin on her face. ‘No way! You are having dinner with us! Right, Dipper?’

Damn! ‘Of course!’

‘And hello Soos, long time no see. You don’t have to hover by the door, come on in! We’ll be done in a minute and when it’s in the oven we can start the movie I brought.

_> Wait, what?<_

‘Uhm…’ Soos began, obviously stopped in his tracks by a look from his wife. ‘It’s okay, I’m actually… really tired and-…’

‘It’s The Legend of the Were-shark.’

Soos looked up. ‘Part one?’

Wendy nodded solemnly. Melody sighed. Dipper felt his chances of having a successful date dwindle away.

***

 

_> This is not at all how I planned it.<_

Dipper tapped the side of his head, hoping Bill could feel it. He knew the demon didn’t have a plan to begin with. It wasn’t a bad situation, but for a date? Yes, then it was very terrible. All four of them were crammed on the small living room sofa. At least Melody had somehow managed to get Dipper seated right next to Wendy which made him regret not having sold his soul to her instead of the current occupant of his mind. She had reluctantly agreed to watch with them until the lasagna was finished. Which was probably due to her fear of Dipper burning it. His gratitude was endless.

_> I can’t believe I’m sitting through another one of these.<_

Dipper quickly drowned his reply in a cough. As much as he wanted to comment on how it was still better than being stuck in a freaking rock, he had to act like a sane person for the rest of the night. The first scene started playing. A shark’s fin emerged from the surface of a mountain lake before vanishing into the deep green water.

_> Are you kidding me?<_

Dipper pulled a face. ‘Its genetic code is altered so it can live in freshwater. It’s called suspension of disbelief.’

Wendy turned to him. ‘Yeah, dude. I know?’ Dipper swallowed audibly. He felt the other’s gaze on him.

‘I was… just making an observation.’

Bill was laughing.

‘There are actually some species of shark which can survive perfectly fine in freshwater’ Soos stated and diffused the awkward tension a little.

Dipper pressed his lips together to finally keep his mouth shut. This was going to be way more difficult than he had thought.

_> Hey, why don’t you point out all biological inaccuracies, Pine tree? I’m sure it will greatly enhance the experience.<_

This time Dipper didn’t answer. He was just not going to say anything anymore for the rest of the movie. Just to be safe.

‘This is my favorite part,’ Wendy said and leaned forward a little, her arm casually brushing against Dipper’s. It felt like an electric current slowly making its way across his skin. On screen a man, wounded by a gunshot, dramatically fell out of a moving car, rolled off the side of the road, over some underbrush and - very obviously replaced by a dummy - down a steep cliff and into the water. Wendy and Soos burst out laughing. As the unfortunate guy began to sink, the amount of blood trailing behind him could fill a swimming pool.

_> You think the Shark will notice him?<_

Dipper snorted into the sudden silence. Wendy shot him a quick smile. Even though his humor seemed to be a little different, she seemed to still be happy Dipper enjoyed the silliness of the movie. She leaned back and offhandedly draped one of her legs over Dipper’s. Numbed with shock, he turned to her, wondering what she wanted to convey with that. But when she wasn’t even looking at him, just staring straight ahead at the screen.

_> Damn girl. You’re moving way too fast. You’ll be causing a heart attack.<_

Dipper tried to relax but all his muscles and something else that wasn’t muscle at all were tensing up. He thought it would be awkward for everyone but with the little space they all had on the couch it made sense. Dipper debated if it was okay to put his hand on her knee but the sweat on his palm would probably gross her out. He tried to focus on the movie but the colorful pictures suddenly made no sense anymore. He could not even follow the simple plot. When Soos and Wendy laughed again, he chuckled along politely and when they yelled at the TV, he copied them but his mind was filled to the brim with the sensation of body heat pressed against his side.

_> Great, she broke you.<_

They stayed like this until the timer in the kitchen went off and made them all jump.

‘I get it,’ Melody said and got up.

‘Let me help you,’ Wendy offered and followed her. Dipper almost started crying at the loss of contact and warmth.

‘I-…uh-…’ he said, sitting up.

‘Yeah,’ Soos agreed and paused the movie.

When they opened the door to the kitchen a wave of delicious smells washed over them. In the center of the table sat the most amazing lasagna Dipper had ever seen. Melody put out plates and cutlery and Wendy poured them some water.

‘What? No!' Everyone looked at Wendy who looked at Melody who had only set out two plates.

_> Bet she was going to light a candle too.<_

‘You’re going to eat with us!’ Wendy took out two more plates.

Melody shifted her weight from one foot to the other. ‘No, really, it’s fine. We’ll just take a plate upstairs.’

‘Oh hell no! Melody, you practically made it!... No offense, Dipper.’

‘None taken.’ It hurt. But she was right.

‘Please,’ he said. ‘Eat with us.’

All three of them looked at Melody. She sighed in defeat. ‘All right,’ she said, theatrically rolling her eyes. ‘But just one piece.’

‘Yes!’ Wendy cheered and heaped each of them a large portion.

It was the best thing Dipper had ever tasted. He would have never been able to make something like this by himself. And even though he would rather be alone with Wendy, he was grateful for the company. With Soos and Wendy nerding out about the movie, he didn’t need to keep up a conversation and could peacefully dig into the mountain of cheese and deliciousness. He realized how talkative he was when Melody yawned exaggeratedly and practically pulled Soos, who was still in a heated discussion about a background character, away from the table. She bid them good night and left Dipper to fend for himself. Only then did he realize they had left him to serve desserts on his own. After making a little small talk about how difficult it was to get the right ingredients, Dipper sat the small bowl down in front of Wendy.

‘Vanilla pudding! My favorite!’

Dipper wanted to sink into the floor because of its simplicity. But this was everything he had managed. At least he had made it completely on his own. Well, Dr. Oetker had helped.

>I don’t know about you but regular humans use some sort of tool to eat.<

‘Right, sorry.’ Dipper bolted to the drawer and got two spoons.

‘Thanks, Dipper.’ Wendy offered him a smile that desperately wanted to reassure but ended up somewhere between resignation and pity.

They ate in silence. Wendy’s discomfort was almost tangible. Dipper wished Melody and Soos had stayed. Or Bill would actually offer some useful advice for once.

>Comment on her eyes or something. Say her sclera look nice.<

Dipper immediately regretted his thought. He kept staring in his pudding, carefully avoiding the clumps and pieces of half frozen raspberries. ‘I’m sorry this is so bad.’

He looked up in surprise when Wendy chuckled.

‘It’s okay.’

_> Brutal honesty.<_

‘I bet you would have made this a thousand times better.’

Wendy shrugged. ‘No I’m not really a pudding fan.’

Dipper halted.

‘Ah shit - ….no,uhm… I want to say… with a family full of guys you don’t really get to make a lot of fancy desserts. The larger and greasier the better. I just stick to simple chocolate cake or… what?’

‘Nothing.’ Dipper lowered his gaze into his pudding soup. ‘I just… didn’t think you… I don’t imagine you in the kitchen.’

_> Good job. Degrading and sexist.<_

‘Argh, this came out wrong. So wrong. Sorry.’ Wendy was the epitome of patience. ‘No sweat, dude. I just have a few simple recipes from my mom is all.’

_> Good. Bring up her dead mother. The mood can’t possibly get any worse.<_

Dipper just stared at her, completed lost for words. Bill wasn’t helping. He didn’t need a voice telling him how awful this evening was going. And watching TV together had been so nice.

‘Dipper, what is all this?’

_> Okay, nevermind. It actually can get worse.<_

‘Uh…’

Wendy got up and sat down on the chair next to him. Dipper felt cold sweat pool on his back. He wasn’t ready to be rejected so soon. But he couldn’t take his eyes off Wendy’s face. She wasn’t angry but concerned and that made it worse. ‘I just wanted to watch a movie with you.’

Dipper was gripping his spoon so hard, he was beginning to lose feeling in his fingers.

‘It’s great that you made dinner and everything but-…’

Here it comes, Dipper thought. The final blow. He hoped he could keep a shard of dignity and not start bawling right there in front of her.

‘A bowl of popcorn would’ve been fine. I don’t need all this. I just want to spend some time with you.’

Dipper swallowed but his throat was dry so he ended up making a weird guttural sound.

‘...and I really wish you would relax a little.’

‘… Sorry.’

Wendy’s expression softened. ‘Don’t be… It was… very sweet.’

Dipper tried to smile but only felt the muscles of his face contort like the rest of his body.

Wendy laughed. ‘I said relax. And the lasagna really was delicious… The pudding however… ‘ She trailed off.

Dipper smiled sheepishly then collected the remainder of his courage. ‘I think we still have ice cream in the freezer.’

Wendy grinned. ‘That would be great.’

 

***

 

_> That was close.<_

Dipper bit his lower lip. He had sworn not to talk to Bill but he was currently by himself in the kitchen, preparing bowls of chocolate chip ice cream.

‘Yeah, thanks a lot for the help.’

Bill made an offended sound.

_> Excuse you. The whole dinner thing was your idea!<_

‘Is that so? Let’s try your idea next time then, smartass!’

_> Okay… Well…<_

‘Just shut up.’

Dipper wasn’t in the mood to discuss the obvious lack of Bill’s support. He grabbed two spoons and headed for the living room where Wendy was waiting for him.

‘You came just at the right time,’ she said. ‘This is the best part!’

Dipper snorted. ‘You’ve been saying this about every scene. And what a coincidence. You paused it.’ Wendy laughed and made more room on the couch, immediately digging into her dessert. Dipper watched her with a newly discovered fondness. He sat down next to her, maybe a little closer than necessary, and pushed the play button.

A team of unprofessional looking scientists were injecting neon blue liquid into the unconscious protagonist but didn’t realize his shirt was still soaked in water. One of his hands slowly clenched into a fist. The ice cream largely enhanced the experience of a lazily written massacre, Dipper decided. At least Wendy seemed to enjoy it. And the discomfort of being alone together had finally disappeared as well. Dipper sank deeper into the soft cushions and had almost forgotten the fact they weren’t actually completely alone. However, Bill had been comfortably quiet for the last minutes and continued to be so for the rest of the movie. There wasn’t even a comment on the ridiculous ending. He was probably sulking. Dipper couldn’t care less. When the credits began to roll a dusting of awkward tension returned to the room.

‘Want more ice cream?’ Dipper offered in a weak attempt to have something to do besides sitting way too close.

‘No thanks, I’m stuffed,’ Wendy replied but before Dipper could make another helpless suggestion she turned to him expectantly.

‘But you could show me some of your photos. You promised.’

Dipper felt a prickling sensation slide down his back. ‘My photos? But there’s nothing to see… it’s just… trees and-…’

He thought about the bubbles on the surface of the lake. And of Bill. Then he remembered the demon couldn’t accidentally be on one of the pictures so he mentally slapped himself for even thinking irrational stuff like that. ‘…. more trees.’

Wendy raised an eyebrow. ‘You forgot who you’re talking to. I might not brag about it but considering my heritage I know a lot about trees.’

‘A lot!’ she emphasized then pulled a face. ‘Some things I wish I could forget.’

Dipper laughed. ‘All right. I warned you. I shit ton of trees coming up. Unsorted. Unfiltered.’

He let Wendy pull him to his feet and followed her up the stairs. Only then did he realized that they were heading straight for his bedroom. And his thoughts were already there. Was it decent enough to invite a lady inside?

The pile of clothes he had erected was still on the floor. Luckily Wendy didn’t seem to mind. A whole life with three brothers had apparently made her immune.

She sat down on the chair at his desk and picked up this camera. Any other person Dipper wouldn’t have allowed to even touch it but with Wendy he was glad for the distraction. It gave him valuable seconds to boot his laptop and quickly changes anime girl wallpaper to a default sky-space-something background. He opened the folder he had meant to scout through the day prior, clicked the first image and started a slideshow. As promised leaves and bark and branches slid across the screen in a never-ending sea of brownish green. Dipper couldn’t even watch it. He let a few seconds pass then was ready to find Wendy playing with his camera, realizing her request to seem polite had been a huge mistake. But instead found her watching the pictures with great interest. It was accompanied by series of quiet ‘wow’s and ‘that’s cool’ to even ‘I like how you captured the sunbeam in that one.’

‘Seriously? I mean… thanks.’ Dipper still didn’t know how to handle compliments. He didn’t very much care for the pictures, but if Wendy like them they were instantly more valuable. He hoped Bill was listening because the demon had spent all day yesterday complaining about the repeating images. It had just been a way to track the path in the woods but nonetheless Dipper had had to make effort in taking interesting photos. If only to make it easier for future Dipper who had to look through hundreds of gigabytes of green.

‘What are you going to do with these?’ Wendy asked after a while, still immersed in the world’s most boring presentation.

Dipper shrugged. ‘I don’t know yet,’ he answered truthfully.

‘Did you take pictures of anything else too?’

Dipper snorted. ‘Ha! I knew you would get bored.’

Wendy dropped her gaze. ‘No, I just-… we should take a picture together.’ She looked at him again and held up the camera.

For the first time the chance to discuss the topic of her leaving at the end of summer was tangible. Like she wanted a memory of this very moment. But Dipper couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He didn’t want to ruin the moment.

‘You know I only have old pictures of us I took with my cell phone. Nothing this fancy.’ She pushed the camera into Dipper’s hands. ‘We can put a filter over it later,’ she added.

Dipper felt the weight of the camera and the sweat of his fingers as he turned it on and adjusted the settings to indoor lighting. He hadn’t thought a photo of Wendy and him could perhaps be the only thing he would be taking home.

He leaned down and held up the camera in front of their faces. It was difficult to balance it like this and he couldn’t see if both of them were even in the picture. He moved closer and was pleasantly surprised when Wendy pushed their cheeks together.

‘Watch out to for the flash,’ he warned and pushed a trigger.

‘Aw shoot, I blinked,’ Wendy laughed and pushed their heads together once more.

‘ Do another one. Just in case.’

Dipper did as he was told, not minding their proximity at all. Wendy’s face was extraordinarily soft and her hair smelled of some sort of fruit.

‘Now look silly,’ Wendy ordered and stuck out her tongue. Dipper followed suit and took another couple of shots of them trying to bend their faces into horrendous expressions. They howled with laughter when they looked at them.

‘Okay, one more,’ Wendy demanded. ‘Serious this time.’

‘You’re using up my storage space,’ Dipper complained jokingly but didn’t hesitate when he turned the lens back at them.

‘On three,’ Wendy said although she wasn’t the one taking the picture.

‘One,’ Dipper almost jumped when Wendy suddenly put an arm around him.

‘Two.’ Her hand was dangerously close to his face.

‘Three!’

Dipper pushed the button just when Wendy turned her head and pressed her mouth to his cheek. Before Dipper could even process the whole situation she had pushed back and out of his reach. He looked at her wide-eyed. A faint blush was tinting her cheeks. It looked beautiful. Dipper wished he could say something but his whole mind had been wiped clear. Maybe the shock had even taken Bill with it. He brushed a hand against his chin to make sure his mouth wasn’t hanging open. He wondered how he could respectfully ask for a repetition.

‘Can you send me the picture when you got time?’

‘Sure,’ Dipper answered on autopilot. ‘I’ll send it to your email.’

And there it was again. The topic he didn’t want to talk about just yet. No, he hadn’t magically lost her address. He just hadn’t been able to put actual words into the blank window that popped up every time he wanted to write her.

Wendy checked her phone. ‘Geez, it’s late. I gotta bail.’

‘What? Now?’ Dipper blurted out then snapped his mouth shut. It was not like they had anything else planned.

‘Sorry, it’s late and I have to drive Kevin to practice tomorrow.’

‘I see,’ Dipper said and tried his very hardest not to sound as disappointed as he did.

‘Really sorry,’ Wendy repeated and there was something else in her voice that Dipper couldn’t quite place.

He walked her to the door, accepting some more compliments for Melody’s dinner and promised to go to some kind of party next week but everything seemed to happen like a stage performance. Something had changed in the air between them but it was too soon to tell where it was going to take their friendship. If it even was that anymore. Dipper would lie awake most of that night, replaying the events of the evening over and over in his head, unable to banish the grin from his face.


End file.
